Projekt Wolfenstahl

Saturday, July 7, 2012

japanese quality testers, patchnotes and random talk

First of all, as I already mentioned we are currently translating the game into japanese.
Therefore we are looking for a couple of japanese people who are able to read english AND japanese.
Yup, this is just a voluntary quality checking job, nothing else.

So what do we expect from japanese quality testers?
Well, first of all you should be able to read english and japanese.
We will send you some of our translated text-scripts, and it would be nice if you would read them and give your oppinion on those texts.
Since we want to implement some good japanese texts.
Later on you'll get the japanese demo-version firsthand.

The japanese test readers won't get a "new" or "special" version.
It's just the japanese one with some censorship, so it'll come along with the rules of DLsite etc.
So to all you "non japanese" people out there... please don't disguise yourselves as japanese.
You won't get any new content, just the stuff everyone else gets.
The only difference will be that it's japanese.

So please be honest, when applying for quality testing of japanese texts.
This is really only to ensure that the japanese translations are "good" and understandable.

If you are interested, feel free to contact me:
wolfenstahl(at)hotmail(dot)com

Well, let's get to the ingame changes next.

This stuff has been fixed/changed:

- several bugs that have been reported
- several balancing issues
- 30 FPS to 60 FPS to improve performance and make the game more responsive
- Paperheads have a 3 second grab delay (they can't grab right after Verdani escapes a grab)
- faster running speed
- less stamina reduction when running
- savepoint now heals fully HP and stamina
- double tapping for running (regular V-Button for running is still ingame)
- the mid-boss Paperhead got a new attack
- better looking UI

The escaping system / continue system has been changed.
Now Verdani can freely escape, no "I have to fight" message anymore when escaping, except the room where she's tied up.
(but there are some normal occasions where you can only proceed when fighting your way through, this has nothing to do with the continue system though)
But you'll have to defeat several enemies in order to "reset" the KO counter.
(about 10 enemies, but on "easy" it's less and on "hard" it's more enemies you have to defeat)
Otherwise a second KO will cause instant game over.

This should give the player more freedom, as well as encourage the player to defeat enemies, instead of running through the stage.

Stuff that has been added:

- cumming animations
(they'll occour when Verdani has been grabbed for some time already, they won't come right away)
- 2 Paperheads can grab her at once
- 1 Paperhead subtype (the second one isn't in the demo yet)
- 5 new CGs
- improved dialoge system
- new areas
- new riddle/task you have to complete in order to advance in the game

There is also one big room where you have to fight off a whole lot of Paperheads.
If you cleared out several other rooms, this room will contain less enemies.
(so visiting different locations of a stage and killing many Paperheads is rewarded with making certain areas easier to clear later on)
If you cleared all other rooms, you'll only encounter about 10 Paperheads here.
If you just ran straight through, it should be about 20 enemies.
(in case you cleared out only "some" areas, the total number of Paperheads is between 10 and 20)
(it's also depending on the difficulty level, how many Paperheads appear in total)

This room exists also to show people how the game "should be" later on.
Except that there are more different enemy types.
(2 completely new types and several more Paperhead subtypes)
There are no annoying platforms/edges (or whatever you want to call it), so the programming is a whole lot easier, as well the implementation of AI is possible.

We also plan to make the last 33% or 24% of the sewer stage consisting only of one plain platform.
So escaping a fight by just switching the platform isn't possible from that point on.
(making the game as it is originally intended to be)

I hope I didn't forget anything that has been patched/changed.
Yeah... there was lots of stuff, so it's easy to forget something.

I guess it's time for some random talk then.
From this point on this blogpost just contains some thoughts and general stuff.
So you don't have to read it if you're not interested in it.

Well, regarding the "company" stuff, we made some decision.
We decided that our current main artist is our head/boss.
This is due to various reasons... for example me still trying to get a regular job.
(well... I don't have high hopes on this one I admit... but I'm not giving up yet)
And I can't manage a company AND have a regular job, it's just too much.
Furthermore our main artist kinda does the stuff that is representing "Projekt Wolfenstahl".

I mean... noone ever notices who does the programming, the community never sees the programmer.
I'm currently doing the blogposts, yeah, but who cares if someone else would do it?
It's not important... at least not for the customers.
I'm not trying to say that the job I do is "cheap".
Or that I'm replaced easily... I'm just trying to say, that people would notice it if the art changes.
If the CG's or characters are different, if the animations change in quality etc.
That's what people notice in first place.

So you could say, our artist is the "main core" of it all, right?
I'm just backup artist myself, and all my other actions aren't "the face of the game".
Yeah, so that's the main reason for our decision.
Right now our main artist is the head of Projekt Wolfenstahl.
I'm just managing the blog and some other stuff.

Well, in case people have wondered what's going on on our team lately.
We had lots of issues to take care off.
As things are going right now, we'll have to rent an appartment and move there.
Meaning we will have to finish this game in time (at least mid-august).
And as long as I don't find a job, it's pretty much depending all on the success of the game.

If I would have a free wish... I would just wish that our efforts pay off.
And that we create a game that most people enjoy.
(I know that I can't satisfy "everyone", but if it's "most people" I'm fine with that)
So if it all works out, we can probably earn our daily bread just by making H-games.
Which sounds a bit weird... if you ask me.
But... yeah... if you can make something, that's "rare", if you have the talents to do so... if you love the job you have... and if you "can" earn your daily bread with it... you should do it!
At least this is what lots of people told me.

So it's kinda betting everything on this one card...
Usually I'm calculating every step I take, and this feels more like gambling to me...
But I'll give it a shot.
And our boss (main artist) thinks the same way.

On one side I'm hoping to get lots of impressions, lots of criticism, so I can improve.
But on the other side it's a pitty that I can't implement everything into this first game.
I would love it to be "perfect"... but I'm afraid that this is an unrealistic thought.
We have a timelimit after all... and we really need it to be completed by that time.
And we stated at the beginning of this project, that our first game will be a "small" one.
Just to get first impressions, to learn how things are working out etc.
It's kinda do or die now... lol

So yeah... it's guranteed that it will be "completed".
As well as it's guranteed that we WILL maintain the same amount of quality we did so far.
Because... we are highly depending on this being at least a minor success.

Speaking of "our first game".
Well yeah... this is the first time in my entire life that I programmed a game.
I only did minor programming stuff at several other hobbies I had.
Our main artist also never did any spritework.
She had only drawn regular artworks, and she also made her first attempts at creating game sprites.

Since we learned lots of stuff... yeah... it was definetely the right decision to start with this game.
Intending it to be only a small project and all.
During programming I did lots of mistakes (30 FPS *cough* and lots of other stuff) .
And I won't make them again.
Also the pseudo 3D-stuff was a huge mistake I guess...
It's way easier to do a 2D platformer.
And it's a whole lot more fun to play it too...

Imagine a female, valkyrie like knight (it's NOT a valkyrie! just imagine the looks of it) with energy wings flying through the air, fighting against other flying knights, monsters etc...
Adding some ranged attacks, high speed combat, counter moves etc...
And of course not just flying, but also some great dungeons where you can't fly for some reasons.
That would be pretty cool, compared to a pseudo 3D game that has a ton of hentai animations, but no spectacular gameplay.

I'm not saying that Paperheads is a bad game.
I'm just saying, we realized what's "more important" and we can finally see how things work out best.
We are going to finish what we planned so far... and then we will take the next game from a different direction.

Focusing clearly on gameplay, action, some riddles/tasks you have to solve.
Some spectacular boss battles... and of course the storyline and the CGs!
Hentai animations will slide a little bit into the background.
Though there will still be some of them.
(but annoying "grabbing" will definetely be less seen, though it will be still there, but it will be simplified)

Well... I'll talk about this kind of stuff more when the time comes.
I feel that I've said everything that was on my mind for now.

2 comments:

I still think, not being able to escape with one hand is going to hurt the game.

Part of Kurovadis's success was that the escape seequences (the H content) was doable with one hand, and then you can continue to play, and win.

In paperheads, I will have to work against myself. Either I play to win, and get no H content. Or, I go for H content, but I can't enjoy it because it needs both hands, and if I try to multipurpose with one hand, I will probably lose (switching from one side of the keyboard to another).

How about, during the <- ^ -> \/ part of the escaope, WASD also doubles for those keys? Just for the escape sequence.

Or, how about, after the paperhead cums, they dump her aside, like in nanocrisis. Then, we can get into the H content, try to survive it with one hand, and then continue the game, when the event is over.